Gender Bias Alleged at UCLA's Anderson Business School

One of the nation's top-ranked business schools is "inhospitable to women faculty," according to an internal academic review.

Faculty of the Anderson Graduate School of Management at University of California, Los Angeles, received a confidential copy of the review, conducted by a group of university professors and outside business-school deans, in April. The next day, the institution's first female dean,
Judy Olian,
met with the heads of several other elite business schools at the White House, where the group discussed business schools' roles in making workplaces friendlier to women and working families.

Back on campus, many professors noted the irony. Among the findings of the report, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal: Anderson is inconsistent in how it hires and promotes women as compared with men; has created "gender ghettos" in certain academic areas; and shows a "lack of confidence" in female faculty.

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Dr. Olian said her administration is taking the findings seriously, and that the climate for women has been a priority since she became dean eight years ago. "This is going to require a lot more than numbers and policies. It's really soul-searching," Dr. Olian said. "I have to ask myself, what here might have had unintended consequences? And what subtle things should we, can we, must we be doing to improve the climate?"

Dr. Olian has notched many accomplishments during her tenure at Anderson: She raised $190 million for the school, successfully wrested administrative control away from the state education system and, in the past four years, oversaw a 60% jump in full-time M.B.A. applications.

But other than the dean herself, no women hold any of the school's 24 endowed chairs, prestigious positions used to attract and retain top talent.

Women made up 20% of tenure-track faculty at Anderson and 14.3% of those with tenure in the 2012-2013 academic year, including Dr. Olian, according to school figures.

By comparison, an analysis of 16 peer institutions—including the business schools at the University of Virginia, Stanford University and University of Michigan—found that, on average, about 30% of tenure-track and 19.5% of tenured faculty were women in the 2012-2013 year. That analysis was done by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an accrediting group.

Gender is a fraught issue at many elite business schools. Harvard Business School gained attention last fall for its aggressive efforts to help women faculty and students thrive more in the classroom. And at the Yale School of Management, an instructor sued in federal court late last year, alleging gender and age discrimination after her appointment wasn't renewed. Yale says the suit is without merit.

Interviews with professors and administrators at a number of top programs suggest that the problems are particularly acute at Anderson. The internal report states that women have high rates of job satisfaction when beginning careers at the school, but face a "lack of respect" regarding their work and "unevenly applied" standards on decisions about pay and promotions.

Twice in the past three years, the university's governing academic body took the relatively rare step of overruling Dr. Olian, who had recommended against the promotion of one woman and against giving tenure to another, according to four Anderson professors.

In one case, the university found that policies allowing faculty to take parental leave without falling behind on the tenure track had been incorrectly applied to the candidate. In that same period, they said, a male candidate for promotion passed through the Anderson review, but didn't get clearance from the university.

After seeing the review's initial findings in January, Dr. Olian created a Gender Equity Task Force. Among other things, the group wants to standardize promotion review criteria, said
Aimee Drolet Rossi,
a marketing professor and a member of the task force.

Prof. Rossi, who has been at the school since 1997, said she hasn't observed overt discrimination or hostility at Anderson, but said she has witnessed subtle digs and dismissive comments directed at women from colleagues and students. "It's death by a thousand paper cuts," she said.

The concerns at Anderson arose from a November review by the university's academic senate, which regularly assesses the academic health of UCLA's departments. The authors of the report—a group that included four UCLA professors and deans of three other business schools—set out to review issues related to academics only, but concerns about women faculty arose repeatedly during the evaluation, the report said.

The report praised the school's academic rigor and world-class faculty under Dr. Olian's leadership. But it also concluded that school administrators have done little to address problems raised in a 2006 study of gender at Anderson.

Dr. Olian disputed that: "To say that [the 2006 report] didn't capture the attention of the administration I don't think is really in line with the facts. In fact, I think it's wrong," she said in an interview, adding that the school implemented eight or nine of about a dozen recommendations.

Anderson this school year added female faculty and reduced the overall tenure-track pool, bringing to 28% the share of tenure-track faculty who are women. And the number of female full professors has tripled during Dr. Olian's tenure—to six, not including Dr. Olian—making women 12% of the 49 full professors on faculty.

The percentage of women enrolled in Anderson's full-time M.B.A. program rose to 34% last year from 28% in 2006.

Professors of both sexes at Anderson said the latest report accurately captured the atmosphere.

"I was, like, 'Wow, it's spot on,' " said one woman management professor who asked to remain anonymous. "I was pleased to see it come out."

Barbara Lawrence,
a tenured professor of management and organizations who has spent 30-plus years at Anderson, is leaving the school this month, weary of being told, for example, that her research was insignificant.

She also said she fought for years both before and after Dr. Olian's arrival to bring her salary in line with male peers after discovering a $30,000 gap, finally nearing parity in 2009.

In an interview, Dr. Olian declined to comment on Prof. Lawrence's pay differential claim, but said most merit reviews run on a three to four year cycle.

Other professors described recent faculty meetings where male professors who published papers with well-known co-authors were praised for being in high demand, while women co-authors were dismissed by multiple colleagues as little more than research assistants.

Rewind and watch "Paper Chase". How many women are inclined to teach like Kingsfield? And how many desire to be rung like Mr. Bell. The only two suicides in my law school class were women. The only female faculty member was the librarian. 40 years ago law schools (and other professional schools) were not friendly places. They were challenging and often confrontational. Some quit and flunked out. The place was not meant to be friendly. There was no family leave or personal days. You measured up or you were out.

I certainly do not condone gender bias and, of course, I believe in equal treatment in the workplace for all. However, as an Anderson alum (Class of 2011), I just want to make sure that the readers realize that the Anderson School is an incredible place for its students. While there, I gained a great deal of knowledge from a lot of extremely intelligent professors who are very successful practitioners in their respective fields and are also very good human beings who enjoy sharing their knowledge and working with their students. Again, I don't condone gender bias, but at the same time, I want people to understand that Anderson is still one of the world's best schools for students. Getting my MBA there was the best thing that I have ever done.

"One of the nation's top-ranked business schools is "inhospitable to women faculty,"

This is just absurd, but fits the theme of the Obama era. Its like a domino chain reaction - One person complains about inequality and then hundreds of articles, stories, etc. start popping up everywhere.

I actually think women are extremely biased against men - how many more women teach elementary, middle, and high school vs. men? Exactly, get out.

I currently go to a B-School University in CA and just about 50% of my professors are women.

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